Method of making a clothes tree



Sept. 7, 1965 G. E. WISE 3,204,333

METHOD OF MAKING A CLOTHES TREE Filed Dec. 22, 1960 INVENTOR UnitedStates Patent 3,204,333 METHOD OF MAKING A CLOTHES TREE Glenn E. Wise,501 13th St. NW., Washington, DJC. Filed Dec. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 77,6742 Claims. (Cl. 29475) This invention relates to method for forming aclothes tree from a single piece of tubular material.

The majority of clothes trees now in use are fabricated from severalparts, and are made either from wood or metal. The wooden trees, inparticular, are found to be unsatisfactory after extended use due toloosening of the various joints of the trees, or due to splitting orwarping of the wood. In addition, it has been observed that there is atendency for at least one or more of the clothesreceiving hooks, whichare usually made of cast metal, to break off, thus reducing theclothes-carrying capacity of these wooden clothes trees. Theconventional metal clothes trees are normally much longer lived, but,since they are usually composed of several parts, they are expensive tofabricate, and are of considerable weight which adds greatly to the costof shipping them from the point of production to the point of use.

It is one object of my invention to set forth an economical and simplemethod of making a metal clothes tree.

Another object of my invention is to set forth a method of making ametal clothes tree which will be of light weight, and sturdy, reliableconstruction.

Other objects will be apparent from the remainder of this specificationand from the drawing.

In the drawings which form a part of this application:

FIGURE 1 is a three-dimensional view showing a single piece of tubular,metallic stock from which my invention is formed;

FIGURE 2 is a three-dimensional view showing the tubular stock piece ofFIGURE 1 as it appears after the first step in forming my clothes treehas been accomplished;

FIGURE 3 is a three-dimensional view showing the lower portion of thetubular stock piece of FIGURE 1 as it appears after the second step informing my clothes tree has been completed;

FIGURE 4 is a three-dimensional view showing the lower portion of thetubular stock piece of FIGURE 1 as it would appear after it has beenformed into the base of my clothes tree;

FIGURE 5 is a three-dimensional view showing the upper portion of thetubular stock piece of FIGURE 1 as it would appear after pluralclothes-hook forming slits are cut therein; and,

FIGURE 6 shows my completed clothes tree in threedimensional form.

Referring now to the drawings by reference numerals, FIGURE 1 shows anelongated piece of rectangular tubular material designated generally as1 and composed of sides 2, 3, 4 and 5. Certain steps, to be described,are performed on this piece to for-m a complete clothes tree.

The first operation which is performed on the piece 1 is accomplished bycutting equal length slits into said piece from the lower end thereofupwardly at each of its corners, as at 6 in FIGURE 2. These slits 6divide the lower portion into four base-forming tabs 7.

The second operation which is performed on piece 1 is accomplished bybending each tab 7 laterally away from the remainder of the piece untileach tab forms an angle of or slightly greater than ninety degrees tosaid remainder. Next the outer portion of each tab is bent upwardly andinwardly, as shown in FIGURE 4, forming base portions 7a and braceportions 7b. The free ends of the brace portions 7b are then welded, orotherwise 3,204,333 Patented Sept. 7, 1%65 bonded to the remainder ofpiece 1, as at 8, and the base of my clot-hes tree is now complete.

Directing attention now to the end of the tubular piece opposite thebase, I form clothesor hanger-receiving hooks thereon in the followingmanner. First, I made a series of U-shaped slits, one in each face ofsaid tubular piece. The U-shaped slits in alternate faces of said pieceare inverted and are of different lengths so that, as seen in FIGURE 5,the U-shaped slit 9 in face 2 is inverted and is longer than theU-shaped upright slit 10 in adjacent face 3. The material left withinthe several U-shaped slits forms tabs such as long tab :11 and short tab12, from which 1 form my clothesor hanger-receiving hooks. The next stepinvolves bending each tab into an upper hook portion and a lower hookportion, such as upper hook portions 11a and 12a, and lower hookportions 11b and 12b, which, as seen in FIGURE 6, are formed from tabs11 and 12 respectively. Hooks are also bent from the tabs formed infaces 4 and 5, and, as seen in FIGURE 6, these books are numbered 13 and14. The hooks bent from the tabs in faces 2 and 4 are identical, and thehooks formed from the tabs in faces 3 and 5 are also identical. Adjacenthooks, however, are not identical, as seen, due to the inversion anddifferent lengths of alternate tabs as previously described. Thisinversion is planned so that alternate books will be located atdifferent levels above the base, thus lessening the over-lapping ofclothes hung upon my tree, and also, incidentally, providing hooksaccessible to both adults and children. Normally, the upper hookportions, such as 11a and 120, would be used as supports for hats, andthe lower hooks portions, such as 11b and 1211, would be used assupports for coats, directly, or for hangers upon which coats are, ormay be hung. The final step in forming my clothes tree is accomplishedby welding, or otherwise bonding, the free ends of the hook forming tabsto the remaining upright portion of piece 1, as seen in FIGURE 6 at 15and 16.

If desired umbrella-supporting hooks may be formed in the same fashionas was employed for forming the clothesor hanger-receiving hooks. Suchumbrella hooks would be located about midway between the base and thelowest clothes-receiving hooks.

Having enumerated the various details of my invention, and having setforth the steps by which I achieve said invention, what I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of forming a clothes tree from an elongated piece ofrectangular, tubular metallic material comprising the steps of: cuttingequal length slits into said piece along each corner of one end thereof;thereby forming four tabs; bending each tab so that it extends away fromthe remainder of said piece and forms an angle of at least degreestherewith; bending at least the outer half of each tab upwardly andinwardly until its free end lies closely adjacent said remainder;attaching each tab end to said remainder; cutting oppositely orientedU-shaped slits into the alternating sides of said piece near the otherend thereof, thereby forming a second set of tabs; bending each of saidsecond set of tabs into clothes- -receiving means; and, attaching thesecond set of tabs near their free ends to the sides from which they arecut out.

2. The method of forming a clothes tree from an elongated tubular pieceof metal comprising the steps of: making cuts in one end of said pieceso as to provide first tab means; bending said tab means into base meanshaving a plurality of free ends; bonding said free ends to said piece;cutting second tab means from the other end of said piece; bending saidsecond tab means into clothes-supporting means having a plurality offree ends; and, welding the free ends of said clothes-supporting 3 4means to said piece at locations which are spaced from 1,969,716 8/34Cohen 211-33 the locations at which the free ends of the first tab means2,107,640 2/38 Magnuso'n 211-1 are bonded to said piece. 2,825,962 3/58Brown 29-548 References Cited by the Examiner 5 FOREIGN PATENTS UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 20,213 A.D./98 Great Britain.

780,082 1/05 Whitman 211-1 1 595 5 4 2 Neuhaus 2'9 533 X WHITMORE A.WILTZ, Primary Examiner. 1,674,661 6/28 Pleister 29-548 10 CLAUDE A.LEROY, NEDWIN BERGER, JOHN F, 1,886,752 11/32 Stansberry 21133 CAMPBELL,Examiners.

1. THE METHOD OF FORMING A CLOTHES TREE FROM AN ELONGATED PIECE OFRECTANGULAR, TUBULAR METALLIC MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: CUTTINGEQUAL LENGTH SLITS INTO SAID PIECE ALONG EACH CORNER OF ONE END THEREOF;THEREBY FORMING FOUR TABS; BENDING EACH TAB SO THAT IT EXTENDS AWAY FROMTHE REMAINDER OF SAID PIECE AND FORMS AN ANGLE OF AT LEAST 90 DEGREESTHEREWITH; BENDING AT LEAST THE OUTER HALF OF EACH TAB UPWARDLY ANDINWARDLY UNTIL ITS FREE END LIES CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID REMAINDER;ATTACHING EACH TAB END TO SAID REMAINDER; CUTTING OPPOSITELY ORIENTEDU-SHAPED SLITS INTO THE ALTERNATING SIDES OF SAID PIECE NEAR THE OTHEREND THEREOF, THEREBY FORMING A SECOND SET OF TABS; BENDING EACH OF SAIDSECOND SET OF TABS INTO CLOTHESRECEIVING MEANS; AND, ATTACHING THESECOND SET OF TABS